Online flight compensation platform AirHelp have released their 2026 AirHelp Score Report, ranking 279 airports in 76 countries. The global rankings have been updated annually since 2015 using flight data, passenger feedback and claims expertise.
And the winner is…
Panama City, Tocumen (PTY) won the top spot in the ranking with an impressive 8.48 out of a possible 10. Fortalezo Pinto Martins Airport (FOR) in Brazil was a close second scoring 8.42 and Cape Town Airport (CPT) in South Africa flew into third place, scoring 8.36. Brazil was the top performing country with five of its airports featuring in the top ten.
The world’s worst airport, according to the research, is Tunis Carthage Airport (TUN) placed last at 279, scoring just 5.50 out of a possible 10. The closest contenders for this unfortunate accolade are Lahore Allama Iqbal Airport (LHE), Pakistan scoring 6.41 and Ho Chi Minh Airport (SGN), Vietnam with a score of 6.48.
The best airport in the US was named as Portland Airport, Oregon (PDX), placed 18th and scoring 8.09, followed by Salt Lake City Airport (SLC) at 28th with 8.04. The worst rated US airport was Ronald Regan Washington National Airport (DCA) rated 260th with a score of 7.00.
London City Airport (LCY) came out on top in the UK with 7.92 but was ranked at number 43, followed by Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LPL) with 7.82 and a ranking of 65. Manchester Airport (MAN) failed to impress as the worst ranked UK airport, placed 269th with a score of 6.71.
In Europe, two airports successfully made it into the top ten, Bodø Airport (BOO) in Norway came 9th with 8.17, closely followed by Billund Airport (BLL) in Denmark (8.16). The worst performing European airport was Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), ranked at 274th place with 6.59.
Journey versus destination
AirHelp based their global airport ratings on three major factors: on-time performance (flights arriving within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time), passenger experience (encompassing staff, wait times, accessibility, information and cleanliness) as well as facilities and comfort. In 2026, new data about the level of delays or cancellations at the airport have also been included. Although AirHelp’s database monitors over 4,000 airports globally, this list of 279 are the world’s major transit hubs based on total flight traffic and popularity. Some may also have been excluded due to a lack of data.
Whilst many travellers are all about the destination, many recognise the journey as part of the overall holiday experience. These new airport statistics may come as a surprise or may just corroborate existing opinion, but will hopefully help to inform passengers thinking about travelling to new destinations.
Were you surprised by any of the results? Let us know in the comments below.
